88 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPt)ETED. 



50625 to 50634— Continued. 



50632. CoFFEA EXCELSA Oheval. 



A Bpecies closely allied to Coffcn liherim. but a stronger !i;ro',ver and 

 apparently a better producer; the seeds, ho\ve\"er, are smaller than that 

 of the true Liberian coffee. It is apparently a plant which has consider- 

 able powers of thriving under very adverse conditions. Nearly 9 pounds 

 of berries t') a tree hive bec'ii gathered from this variety. It prefers low 

 situations, but may be planted up V^ 2,000 feet ab )ve sea level. They 

 are large-leaved trees of vigorous growth. 



Belo.v is a table showing the weight fin kilograms) of berries of various 

 coffees required to give 1 kilogram of marketable coffee: 



Coffea can"phora var. sankiiruemis, 4.7; C. canephora, 3.8; C. robusta I Java i, 

 3.8; C. excelsa, 5.5; C. liherica, 12-; C. dewevrei, 8.3; C. aruwimiensis, 6.7. 

 C. excelm is found in the wild state in central Africa at altitudes oi 2,200 

 feet in a climate which is dry for six months of the year and has a rain- 

 fall of at least 10 inches during the remaining six ni'tntiis. The tem- 

 peratxu-e in summer is tropical, wliile in December and January it falls 

 below 10° C. (50° F.) at night. This type does well in equatorial regions, 

 has a satisfactory strength in caffein, and though somewhat bitter it has 

 an excellent flavor. In Tonking its growth has been remarkable and 

 entirely free from insect and fungoid pests. The bean is small and uni- 

 form in size, and it is hoped to sell it in competition with Arabian coffee 

 blended with Mocha. In appearance it is less luxiuiant than ('. Uberica, 

 though it is hardier and earlier. This species is particularly robust in 

 Java. It commences to flower in the second year and yields a crop of berries 

 in the third year. 



The value of the coffee approaches that of the Liberian coffee and amounts 

 to about £20 per acre. The beans require particular care, since they are 

 inclosed within a thin skin which must be completely removed before the 

 highest prices can be obtained. (Adapted from Bulletin of the Department 

 of Agriculture, Trinidad and Tobago, vol. 17, p. 62.) 



50633. Coffea sp. 



Received as Coffea vannirukula , lor \\hich a place of publication has 

 not yet been foimd. 



50634. Elaeis guineensis Jacq. Phoeuicaceie. Oil palm. 



The trunk of the oil palm is from 15 to 25 meters in height and is crowned 

 witli a cluster of 23 to 30 pinnate leaves. In tho center of this crown is the 

 terminal bud, consisting of young leaves closely ft)lded, the tissue of which 

 is white and tender. This is the palm-cabbage which the natives xise largely 

 ■ for food. 

 ■ Incisions are made in the terminal part of the trunk, and often the tree is 

 felled in order to prepare from the pith palm wine, a drink which is very much 

 enjoyed by the natives. In certain regions of the Ivory Coast they cultivate 

 this palm almost entirely for the Avine and do not hesitate to sacrifice thou- 

 sands of trees every year to obtain the palm must. 



The tree does not begin to produce fruit imtil toward the fifth year. This 

 fruit is more or less like an elongated and flattened plum. It grows in bunches, 

 the weight of w hich varies, according to the variety and the country, between 

 ;... ,5 a.|0Ld.l2 or even 15 kilograms. The pericarp, of tlie fruit is fleshy and fibrous 

 and very rich in fatty matter, and fronj it the pahn oil is extracted. When 

 the pericarp is removed, the palm nut, which is very hard, remains, and this 

 contains the kernel from which palm-nut oil is extracted. 



